Hope
by ASDFGHJKLZX
Summary: Jason, a survivor in the zombie apocolypse finds Clementine, Christa, and Omid after the events in savanahh. Story takes place before season 2 and goes through the season.
1. Chapter 1

It has been a while since Lee passed and Clementine met up with Christa and Omid. They had been on the move, never staying in one spot permanently. Clementine had grown a bit tired of moving around. She wished Lee was still here to protect her. She found herself thinking about him each and every day. Clementine was lonely now, despite the fact that she was with Christa and Omid. They were always talking about the baby Christa was having and didn't pay as much attention to Clementine as Lee did. If Clementine could have one wish, it would be to have Lee back alongside her.

Ever since savannah Christa, Omid, and Clementine had been alone together. Christa and Omid had informed Clementine about the fate of Ben and Kenny. They never actually saw Kenny die, but they assumed the worst had happened. Clementine sometimes missed Kenny, Katjaa, and Duck. They had been with her and Lee since all of this began, so she grew a bit close to them.

The three had been walking through the forest for a while now. Omid took the lead, Christa stayed in the middle, and Clementine followed from the back. The forest was covered with tall trees that seemed to go on forever. The air was cold as ice and made the bones ache as the wind blew. It was quiet, they said nothing as they moved through the forest. The crack of twigs could be heard under their feet which made them a bit nervous. Clementine kept turning her head to make sure nothing was there. They moved a bit further through the forest in the dark, only the light from their flashlight, and the light from the moon illuminated the way. They kept moving when suddenly Omid came to a quick stop and crouched down. Clementine and Christa followed his lead and got to their knees.

"Do you hear that"? asked Omid. They stood as quiet as they could. The noise of a vehicle could be heard in the distance.

"Is that a car" asked Christa.

"I think so" said Omid.

"What should we do" asked Christa not knowing whether to approach the vehicle or go another way.

"I don't know… maybe we should check it out" said Omid. "They could have supplies, maybe they can help us" he said.

"Yea… or they could screw us over" said Christa expressing her thoughts.

"Let's just check it out" said Omid.

"I don't think we should" said Christa. Omid knew Christa wasn't going to change her mind.

"What do you think, Clementine" asked Omid and they both turned to look at her. Clementine hated being the one to be asked last. Every time Christa and Omid disagreed on something, Clementine was always the tie breaker.

"I don't know…maybe… they have supplies" said Clementine. Omid smiled at her and Christa just rolled her eyes.

"Okay, it's settled then". We see if they can help us out, then we'll be on our way" said Omid. They began approaching the car slowly and quietly. The sound of the vehicle was getting louder and louder, and the light from the vehicle was getting brighter. Beyond the trees there was a dirt road between them and more forest. The stopped at the edge of the forest line and hid behind the trees. The vehicle was a military jeep. The hood was popped as if someone was trying to fix it.

"Maybe it's abandoned" said Christa.

"Maybe, lets go check it out" said Omid. Before he came out of the trees, someone walked around the side of the jeep. It was a young guy, roughly 6 feet tall. He had a muscular build. He wasn't too stocky, but he wasn't too skinny either. The light from the jeep illuminated his defined arms as he attempted to fix the vehicle. He looked like he was in his early twenties, if he was even that old. He was wearing camouflage cargo pants along with a plain white shirt and some steel toe boots. He looked like he was in the military judging by his basic military clothing.

"What should we do?" asked Christa.

"We should say something" replied Omid. "It looks like he has some supplies in the back of the jeep". As Christa and Omid were discussing their plan, they noticed that Clementine was completely frozen. They turned to look at the stranger who had noticed them and had a gun pointed at them.

"Come out where I can see you" he said.

"Okay…okay… just don't shoot" said Omid and they waked out of the woods with their hands raised. "Look my girlfriend is pregnant, please we don't want any trouble".

The guy lowered his weapon and took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to scare you". "I was just making sure you weren't trying anything" he said.

"No hard feelings" said Omid. "We were just looking for some help… and we thought whoever was in this jeep could help". Omid looked at the jeep.

"I'm Omid, by the way" he said. "This is Christa, and that's Clementine" he said pointing at them.

"I'm Jason" he said smiling at them. "I wish I could help you, but this piece of shit jeep doesn't run anymore" he said kicking it in frustration. He looked at the supplied he had in the back. Most of it was just canned food that he picked up, but it kept him alive.

"You don't happen to have any food, do you?" asked Omid looking at the boxes he had in the jeep. "If you could spare some that would b great".

Jason thought about it for a while. Those supplies were the things that kept him alive. He had already used up much of the supplies. Giving some supplies to them would just decrease his chances of survival. He looked at Christa and Clementine. He may need the food, but he couldn't just refuse a pregnant woman and a little girl. He took one more look at the boxes and made his choice. Before he replied, Omid spoke to him again.

"Hey…uhh… maybe you could join us" said Omid. As soon as Omid said that Christa pulled him back.

"We can't just let him come with us, we don't even know him" Christa said.

"Yes, I know but… he has supplies" said Omid. "Look, I think we can trust him". "Besides he looks like he was a soldier" he said trying to convince Christa.

"And… who cares if he was a soldier, that doesn't mean we can trust him" she said.

"Yea I know but…" Omid didn't know what to say anymore.

"I think, we can trust him" said Clementine. She saw something in Jason that looked trustworthy, but she didn't know what.

"Ugh… Clementine do you always agree with Omid?" said Christa with a bit of anger in her voice.

"See… we should let him come with us" said Omid.

"Ugh… if he tries anything… I mean anything, it's al your fault" she said looking at Omid.

After a long silence Omid walked up to Jason smiling.

"So, you could join us if you want" said Omid. "Then we could split the supplies, and you won't have to be alone".

"Is it okay with her?" asked Jason looking over at Christa.

"Yea, she's just worried that's all" said Omid. "Don't worry she'll be fine" he said.

"Okay let me just get my things from the jeep" said Jason as he walked over to the jeep.

"We'll help you with the supplies" said Omid and they began grabbing the supplies. Jason grabbed all his survival items. He had a M9 pistol with a suppressor to limit the noise. He also had his combat knife which always came in handy. He grabbed a few other things and followed them back into the woods.

Jason followed behind them, checking his surroundings for any walkers.

"So were are we headed?" asked Jason

"We, just need to find a good spot to camp" said Omid. Jason nodded and kept following them.

"So how long will these supplies last us?" asked Christa.

"Between the four of us… about two weeks tops" replied Jason.

"Well, that's good enough" said Omid. The group walked a bit longer until they found a good camping spot. They began setting everything up and began making a camp fire. While Christa and Clementine worked on putting on a fire, Jason and Omid set up some logs so they could sit. Once the logs were set up and the fire was up they sat down and relaxed. The fire warmed their bodies up, but the cold breeze still tormented them.

"So you were in the army?" asked Christa.

"No… the marines" replied Jason.

"wow, that's badass" said Omid. "That's probably why you've survived this whole time by yourself". "I guess that's why your so fit". "I heard they work you guys out pretty hard in the marines" he said.

"Yea.. They did" said Jason with a smirk on his face. Training was tough in the marines, but he'd give anything to have that back.

"I think we're going to turn in" said Omid.

"Yea… I'm getting tired" said Christa. With that Christa and Omid laid down and went to sleep.

It was only Jason and Clementine who were up and there was an awkward silence.

"So… your name is Clementine?" asked Jason breaking the silence.

"Y…yes" replied Clementine.

"How old are you?" he asked.

"I'm ten" she replied. "How old are you?".

"I'm nineteen" Jason said. "So you've been with these two this whole time?" he asked.

"Yes, for a long time now" she said.

"What about your parents?" Jason asked knowing that Christa and Omid weren't her parents. "If you don't mind telling me" he said.

"They're gone" Clementine said with sadness in her voice.

"I'm sorry" he said feeling bad for her. "Must be hard for a little girl" he said.

"It's okay" she said. "Do you have family?" she asked.

"Yea, I have my parents, and a brother but… I haven't seen them in a while" he replied. "I have a girlfriend too… if that counts" he said. There was something about Clementine that made him sort of comfortable. Despite the fact that she was just a little girl, she was really easy to talk to.

"Oh… are they…?"

"I don't know" Jason replied knowing what Clementine was asking. The two sat in silence for a while, just thinking about their families. Jason was on active duty when the outbreak began. He didn't where any of his family was, or if they were still alive. If any one in his family was alive it was his brother. His brother was also in the marines so he had a higher chance of being alive.

"What's the marines?" asked Clementine breaking the silence.

"Huh" said Jason drifting back into focus.

"You said you were in the marines, I think" she said.

"Oh… yea, you know what the army is right?" he asked.

"Yes" she said.

"Well it's almost the same thing, just a different branch". "I'm a soldier…that's the easiest way to put it" he said.

"Oh"

"It must be tough for a pretty little girl like you" he said. "The world we live in now… it's no place for a child" he said looking down at Clementine. "At least you have people to watch over you". Jason looked at Christa and Omid. He wondered how much they could actually protect Clementine. Christa was pregnant and Omid had to worry about Christa. In his eyes, Clementine seemed lonely with them. It was as if they didn't pay as much attention to her, with Christa being pregnant and all.

"Do you think things will go back to normal?" asked Clementine.

"Ha… yea of course" Jason said letting out a little smile. "You always have to keep hope alive, no matter what the situation is" he said smiling at Clementine.

"Yea, your right" she said smiling back at him. His answer reassured Clementine. Even though she just met him, she took an immediate liking for Jason. The way he spoke to Clementine made her feel comfortable and safe.

"Besides, I've been in some bad situations before, and it all turned out somewhat okay" Jason said.

"What kind of bad situations?" asked Clementine.

"Uhh… they're not important" he said closing his eyes, trying to block out the memories.

"Oh… I'm sorry for asking" said Clementine

"It's not your fault" he said. "It's just… they happened a while ago".

"You must be tired?" he asked.

"Yeah, kind of" she said yawning.

"Why don't you go to sleep, I'll keep an eye out a little longer" he said. He got up and took a long stretch, and sat back down. Clementine laid down and closed her eyes.

Jason sat there in the cold and dark forest. The fire dwindling down, and the heat along with it. He sat there thinking. He wanted to find his brother. Something in his heart told him that he was still alive. He planned to stay with Christa, Omid, and Clementine until the supplies ran out. Once the supplies were gone, he would go his own way. He most likely had a better chance of surviving on his own. He took one last look around and saw nothing. He laid down on the cold and hard ground, and closed his eyes. Hopefully he would survive long enough to find his brother, and the rest of his family maybe.


	2. Chapter 2

Clementine woke up stretching. She looked up at the sun rise which made her squint her eyes. The cold breeze was still blowing, but the rays from the sun warmed her body a bit. She looked around to see Christa and Omid searching around worriedly. She turned around looking for Jason, but he was nowhere to be found. He wasn't laying down on his bed and she couldn't see him anywhere else. Even the bag in which he carried his things was gone. Clementine stood up to see if she could get a better view, but still he wasn't there. All the food and supplies that he brought from the jeep were still here. _Why would he leave? _thought Clementine. She turned to look at Christa and Omid who were already in the middle of a discussion.

"What did I tell you" said Christa angrily.

"How was I supposed to know" said Omid backing away from Christa.

"I told you!" she exclaimed. "But no, you had to trust him".

"But… why would he leave?" asked Omid looking around.

"Did you see him leave, Clementine?" asked Omid.

"No, I just woke up" Clementine replied.

"He must've slipped away quietly" said Christa.

"It doesn't make any sense" said Omid. "Why would he just leave, but leave all of the supplies here". Omid checked the boxes, and all the supplies were still there. "See… he didn't take anything" he said.

"Maybe he just went to go look around" said Clementine. She didn't think he would just leave like that.

"Yea, I'm pretty sure he'll be back" said Omid.

"Well… even if he doesn't come back, we have the food and supplies he brought" said Christa.

"See babe, everything's alright" said Omid smiling at Christa. "I have a good instinct" said Omid.

"Shut up Omid" said Christa laughing at Omid.

"Well… whose hungry?" asked Omid searching the box for some food.

"I could use something to eat" said Christa. "And so can this baby" she said rubbing her stomach.

"How about you Clementine?" asked Omid.

"Yea, I'm hungry too" she said. "But shouldn't we wait for Jason?" asked Clementine.

"Ha… you can wait honey" said Christa laughing. "Me, I'm eating now" she said.

"Yea, my stomach doesn't want to wait any longer either" said Omid opening his can of corn.

"I think, I'm going to wait" said Clementine.

"Since when did you two become best friends" said Christa jokingly. Clementine looked up at Christa and smiled. Christa looked at Clementine and noticed her cheeks were getting red.

"You really do like the new guy huh?" asked Christa looking down at Clementine who didn't quite know what to say.

"Yea he's… nice" said Clementine nervously.

"Okay sweetie, whatever you say" said Christa looking at Omid smiling at each other.

"What's so funny?" Clementine asked, even though she already knew the answer. It was hard for Clementine to stay serious with both of them laughing with each other. After she couldn't handle it no more she let out a little laugh, but quickly tried to hide it. Just as they were all laughing with each other, they heard something behind the trees. Omid sprang up and pointed his gun at the trees. It was getting closer and closer.

"Is it a walker?" asked Christa.

"I don't know, I can barely see" said Omid.

As the rustling of the leaves grew louder and louder, Omid gripped the gun tighter. It got close enough to see a human figure carrying something. Omid wasn't taking any chances and aimed the gun directly and the figures head. The figure stepped out of the trees and Omid prepared to fire just before being stopped by Clementine.

"It's Jason!" Clementine shouted. With that Omid lowered his weapon and took a deep breath.

"Holy shit, you scared us" said Omid.

"Where were you?" asked Christa.

"I was just getting some wood" said Jason duping the wood on the floor. "I woke up early, and I didn't want to wake ya'll, so I decided to go get some wood" he said dumping the wood on the ground next to the fire.

"I knew you didn't leave" said Clementine smiling up at Jason.

"Why would I leave?" he said smiling back at Clementine.

"Well we woke up, and you weren't here so…". "Christa kind of thought you left" said Omid smiling at Christa.

"Sure… make me look like the bad guy" Christa said smiling back at Omid. They all laughed and sat back down.

"Here" said Omid tossing Jason some canned food.

"Thanks" he said.

"Eww… this doesn't taste very good" said Clementine looking at her canned food.

"You want to trade?" asked Jason handing his can to Clementine.

"What is it?' asked Clementine.

"Corn" said Jason. Clementine smiled at Jason, but she didn't want to force him to eat hers.

"It's okay" he said. "I've eaten so much of this shit, it all tastes the same to me anyway" he said smiling at Clementine.

"Swear!" said Clementine looking up at Jason with her eyes open wide.

"Huh…what'd you say?" asked Jason confused at what Clementine said.

"Swear!" she said again looking up at him.

"I… I don't… know what you mean by that" he said looking at in total confusion.

"You cursed" said Christa laughing.

"Oh… my bad" he said.

"Yea it's weird, she never calls Omid out on cursing" said Christa. They all looked at Omid and started laughing.

"Do you still want to trade?" asked Jason.

"Okay" said Clementine grabbing the can from his hand, and giving him hers.

"Thanks" said Clementine.

"No problem" said Jason.

** …**

It was dark now. The temperature was dropping, and the sun had quickly settled. The cold air began filling the lungs of anyone who breathed it in. Jason looked at Clementine who was slouched down trying to keep her body warm. Christa and Omid were sitting right next to each other hugging to keep themselves warm. Jason decided to lay down and look up at the night sky. It always fascinated him. Ever since he was a little boy he always wondered what mystery the universe holds. He starred at the stars, and was in awe of their beauty.

Jason got up and walked off to use the restroom. When he came back Christa and Omid were already laying down ready to go to sleep. He looked at Clementine who was still wide awake. He laid back down beside the fire and got himself comfortable. Clementine sat there starring at the fire. Jason wondered what went on through Clementine's head. She always seemed to be thinking about something.

"Are you sleeping?" whispered Clementine softly trying not to be loud.

"No not yet" responded Jason. "Why?" he asked.

"I… don't want to be awake all by myself" said Clementine which made Jason laugh a little.

"Don't worry, I'll stay awake with you" he said.

"Okay" she whispered.

"Maybe if you lay down, it'll help sleep faster" he said.

"Yea… but I don't want to move" she said shaking.

"Why not?" he asked.

"Because it's too cold" she said.

"Here, just lay down closer to the fire" he said moving her covers closer to the fire. Clementine got up and laid down. Both Clementine and Jason laid there looking up at the stars.

"The stars are beautiful aren't they?" asked Jason.

"Yea… they are" said Clementine in a soft voice. "Sometimes I used to look out my tree house at the stars".

"Really?" he said.

"Yes"

"Where are you from Clementine?" Jason asked.

"Georgia" said Clementine. "Where are you from?" she asked.

"I'm from Dallas, Texas" he said.

"Oh… was it nice there?" she asked.

"Ha…not the part I'm from" he said smiling remembering his hometown. "I'm from the… tougher part of Dallas" he said.

"What do you mean tougher" she said.

"It's hard to explain" he said. "You're a bit to young to understand" he said.

They both stayed quiet for a while. After a few minutes Jason looked at Clementine who was already falling asleep. He figured there was no point in staying up any longer, so he closed his eyes and went to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

It had been a couple weeks since Jason joined Clementine, Christa, and Omid's group. In those few weeks, Jason had gotten closer to Clementine than any of them. Omid was a good guy that Jason got get along with. Christa was a bit harder to get along with, but she wasn't all that bad.

Jason walked next to Clementine as Christa and Omid were crouched behind a log. In front of them was a small building, with a large sign that said Gil's. The place looked like it had been abandoned for a while.

"What do you think?" asked Omid.

"You can't be serious" replied Christa.

"I am" answered Omid.

"We are not doing that" said Christa as she stood up and walked to the abandoned station.

"Why not?" asked Omid

"Because!" she said

"C'mon Christa, what's wrong with Omid" he said.

"We're not calling our baby Omid" Christa replied smiling. "One of you is enough". "You two… a little help here" said Christa looking for the support of Jason and Clementine.

"Don't ask me" said Jason nodding his head. Christa looked at Clementine for an answer.

"What If it's a girl?" asked Clementine.

"Then we name her Christa" said Omid.

"But, I'm Christa. I don't want to call her Christa, that's just confusing" Christa said.

"So name her Genevieve. I don't care" said Omid.

"How can you not care?!" asked Christa giggling with Omid. "You're not taking this seriously" she said.

"I take everything seriously. Especially little Omid's future" he said.

"Keep talking and you'll be sleeping in the rain tonight" said Christa jokingly. "Remember that time in Barstow?" she hinted.

"Vegas weekend" he said as Christa walked into the restroom. She nodded her head for him to follow after her. "Why don't you, uh, get cleaned up in the girls room Clem" he said.

"I hope the sink works in there" Clementine said.

"I wouldn't count on it. Just be careful and make sure to keep track of your things. We'll be right next door" he said and walked into the restroom with Christa.

Clementine turned to look at Jason who was standing right next to her. Despite all the walking and searching they did each and every day, Jason never really looked tired. He seemed like he could go on forever and never be exhausted.

"What are you going to do?" asked Clementine.

"I'm gonna take a look inside the building, see if I find anything" he said.

"Oh… can I come with you?" she asked.

"You should go use the restroom, or clean yourself up. I'll be back quickly" he said.

"Okay" she said and walked into the restroom.

Once Clementine walked inside the restroom Jason walked to the front of the building. In the inside was a Diner. Most of the windows were broken, and the door was wide open. He pulled out his gun and slowly walked inside. There was a lot blood on the floor and on the seats. There was broken glass all over the floor which he tried to avoid. He took one more quick look around. Seeing that the place was empty he holstered his gun, and kept searching. He looked at the tables hoping to find something, but he didn't.

He was just about to hop over the counter and keep searching when he heard a gunshot come from the restrooms._ "Shit" _he said to himself and sprinted out of the Diner. He felt his heart beating fast as he made his way towards the restroom Clementine was in. As he was turned the corner he heard another gunshot. When he got close he heard crying and busted through the restroom the door. As he burst through the door, he looked and saw Clementine crying in the corner. He looked down and saw Christa slouched down crying.

"What happ…" Jason started but didn't finish. He took a closer look and saw that Christa was holding Omid's lifeless body in her arms.

"Oh…god… Omid" she cried out. "Oh…god…Omid. Omid can you hear me" she continued. "Please… Omid. Omid… wake up baby please" she sat there crying for Omid.

Jason looked at her and Clementine. Tears were running down their eyes. Christa continued to talk to Omid, trying desperately to wake him up. Clementine just stood there, covering her face.

"Fuck… shit… Christa, I'm so sorry" he said looking down at her. "I'm really, really sorry". There was nothing he could say to make things better. "I… truly am sorry" he said one more time with a saddened voice.

He walked over to Clementine who was still crying in the corner.

He stopped in front of Clementine and kneeled down. He put his hand on her shoulder and spoke to her softly.

"Clementine" he said to her. "Let's go outside. You shouldn't see this".

"He…he's…dead" she said barely able to speak.

"I know" he said. "I'm sorry, but… I think Christa wants to be alone right now" he told her.

"But…I…it's my… fau…" Clementine started but couldn't finish. The tears flowed down her eyes like a river.

"Shh" he whispered. "C'mon, let's wait outside" he said picking her up and taking her outside. Once they got outside he set her down. Clementine continued to cry.

Jason looked around. He felt sorry for Christa, but he knew those gunshots would attract walkers. They had to get moving soon before too many walkers started showing up. After a couple of minutes he knew they had to go. He turned to Clementine and kneeled back down in front of her.

"Clementine… I'm going to get Christa. We have to move before any walkers show up" he said. She just turned away from him and kept on crying.

Jason opened the door and walked in. Christa stood there moving her hand across Omid's hair. Tears were still flowing down her face. Jason looked at her. He didn't want to do this but he had to.

"Christa…" he said, but got no answer. "Those gunshots are going to attract walkers. We have to leave" he said.

"Just… leave me alone" she said.

"Look… I'm sorry, but we have to leave now, or we're going to be surrounded by walkers" he said.

"I… said… to leave me the hell alone!" she screamed at him with anger in her eyes. Jason took a step back but remained calm.

"Calm down" he told her.

"Don't tell me to calm down" she said. "Maybe if you would've never walked off…" she started.

"No… don't blame this shit on me" he said trying to be quiet. Christa looked down at Omid again and couldn't hold back her tears. They stood there quiet not knowing what to say.

"Look… I can't pretend to know what your going through" Jason said. "And I wish you had more time to mourn, but unless you want to deal with walkers… we have to leave".

Christa knew Jason was right, but she didn't want to leave Omid. She kissed Omid on the forehead and got up.

"We have to make sure he doesn't turn" she said. Her eyes were red and puffy from all the crying.

"I'll take care of it" Jason said pulling out his silenced pistol. "You and Clementine go ahead. I'll catch up" he said.

Christa walked out of the door and met up with Clementine. They both began walking towards the woods, not saying a word to each other.

Jason grabbed Clementine's gun from the floor. He grabbed all her things and put them back in her backpack. He looked at the girl who shot Omid. He figured there was no point in letting her turn. He aimed the gun to her head and pulled the trigger. He turned and walked over to Omid's body. He kneeled down right next to it. He put the tip of the suppressor right on Omid's forehead.

"I'm sorry man" he said to Omid. "I wish It didn't have to be like this".

Jason gripped the gun tighter. He closed his eyes and breathed in. He took one last breath and pulled the trigger. The sound was limited, but the round ripped right through his skull. Jason shook his head, holstered his gun, and stood up. He looked at Omid one more time, turned and walked out the door.


	4. Chapter 4

It had been sixteen since Omid died. Jason, Christa, and Clementine still had a rocky relationship. Christa still somewhat blamed Jason and Clementine for what happened to Omid. Every time Jason attempted to talk to Christa she always gave him this look. She looked at him almost with disgust. Even Clementine wasn't the same around him anymore.

The night was cold and wet. The farther up north they moved the colder it got. Hopefully, for their sake there would be less walkers farther up north. Christa believed that maybe the cold weather would affect the zombies somehow. Jason usually didn't argue, as it only made things worse. He believed the weather didn't have an effect on the walkers, but he figured it was worth a shot.

The three sat by the fire in silence. Inside the fire was a small animal which they had been trying to cook for a while.

"Talk to me Christa" said Clementine. Christa didn't respond and kept looking at the fire. Clementine looked up at Jason who was trying to keep the fire going.

Christa sighed and also tried to keep the fire going.

"This will never work". "Look at this… it's pathetic" Christa said.

"The woods too wet to burn" said Christa. "It's been raining so much these past few days".

"Poor thing" said Jason as he looked at the animal. Christa looked at him angrily.

"What?" he asked. "I just… don't like killing animals".

"What else can we do?" asked Clementine.

"Find something that'll burn". "I don't know… wont be easy in the dark and in the rain" said Christa.

Christa continued to move the wood around trying to grow the fire.

"You should be doing this, not me" Christa told Clementine. "Tending a fire, so you can cook and stay warm" she continued. "It's something you have to be able to do Clementine, otherwise…" she said looking at Clementine.

"We can't build a big fire at night. It attracts too much attention. It's too dangerous when we're out here by ourselves" said Clementine.

"We need to eat don't we. We can't survive without food" said Christa.

"… I'm freezing" said Clementine as she curled up into a ball, trying to keep herself warm.

"You think this is bad" said Christa. "Wait till we get to Wellington, then talk to me about cold… if we make it" she said.

"We'll make it" said Jason trying to keep Clementine's morale up.

"We still have a couple hard months ahead of us" said Christa ignoring Jason. "This rain will turn to sleet, then ice, then snow. It won't be easy"

"Is it safe there?" asked Clementine.

"Safer than here, because of the cold… or so they say" replied Christa. "We just need to keep moving north".

"What do you think?" Clementine asked Jason.

"I don't know… hopefully" he said.

They all stood silent for a moment.

"I miss Lee" said Clementine. Jason looked at Clementine. He heard her mention Lee before, but he didn't quite know who he was.

"I'm sure you do" said Christa. "I'm going to look for more wood. You just keep the fire lit" she said as she walked into the forest.

"I'll be right back" said Jason as he followed Christa.

"Where are you…" Clementine started but Jason walked away.

Jason caught up to Christa and pulled her back. Christa looked surprised to see Jason.

"What are you doing?" asked Christa.

"Look… I know what you've been through" he said. "But you don't have to be so hard on Clementine".

"I'm teaching her how to stay alive" replied Christa.

"Bullshit" he said. "I know you blame me and her for what happened to Omid. Especially me" he said.

"You don't know anything" she said.

"I can tell by the way you look at her" he said. "Shit… you look at me like if I'm some sort of monster".

Christa stood there quiet, not knowing what else to say.

"I just came to tell you that I'm leaving" he said.

"What!?" Christa asked shocked.

"I said… I'm leaving"

"Why?" she asked.

"It's obvious you don't trust me very much… and I don't think going it's any better up north".

"How would you know?" she asked.

"I don't know for certain" he replied. "I… think it's better if I just leave".

"If that's what you want, then go" she said.

Jason looked at Christa for a moment. She showed very little emotion towards him and Clementine.

"Look… that little girl doesn't deserve all the shit you give her" he said.

"What… you think you can take better care of her?" she said. "I've kept her alive through all of this!" she said.

"Yea… and right now she needs you" he said. "She doesn't need you to blame her and talk to her the way that you do" he said.

"Why don't you just leave already" she said.

Jason sighed and turned away from Christa. He walked back to the camp. Once he was back at the camp he saw Clementine trying to keep the fire going. He walked right past her and began packing his things. He tried not look at Clementine, but knew she was looking at him.

"Why are you packing?" Clementine asked him. Jason didn't look at her and continued packing. He felt her come up behind him as he was packing.

"Don't worry about it" he said.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing" he replied.

"Then… you're leaving" she said. Jason looked back at her. Her face looked even more saddened than it already was.

"Yes" he replied

"Why?"

"Because… I have to!" he said.

"But… but… where are you going?" she asked.

"I don't know" he said. "I think I'll look for my brother".

"But…" before she could say anything, Jason grabbed her by her arms.

"Don't make this any harder" he said.

"I don't want you to leave" she said. Clementine really bonded with Jason and cared for him.

"I know… but I have to" he said "Maybe if I find my brother, I'll head up to Wellington" he said trying to comfort Clementine.

"Do you promise" she said. Despite the fact that she was forced to grow up so fast. When she was around Jason she showed more emotion.

"I can't promise you anything" he said. Clementine looked down. Jason grabbed his things and stood up.

"Good luck" he told her. He patted her on the head and went on his way. In his mind the question remained. _Is this the right choice?_.


End file.
